I didn’t check what Jiah had shot: Genelia
By Joginder Tuteja, IANSSunday, January 10, 2010
MUMBAI - It’s commonly known that Jiah Khan had shot for a substantial portion in “Chance Pe Dance” before she was asked to leave. But Genelia D’Souza, who replaced her in the movie, says she didn’t bother to see those portions.
“I didn’t feel the need to do that at all,” Genelia told IANS.
“There was no point doing so because I wanted to approach my character in a totally fresh manner. The part had anyway been re-written; so it was anyway a new character to begin with.”
The reason behind Jiah’s exit from “Chance Pe Dance” was said to be “change in characterisation”.
Genelia, who has teamed up with Shahid Kapoor in “Chance Pe Dance”, also confirms that she didn’t talk to Jiah before stepping in for the film.
“No, there weren’t any conversations involved. In any case I hadn’t replaced her. The makers (UTV and Ken Ghosh) had already taken the call and were looking for a leading lady. According to them I fitted the bill and hence I was in,” she said.
Filmgoers aren’t really complaining considering that the fresh pairing of Shahid-Genelia is looking good together.
In the film, Shahid plays a struggling actor who is quite good at dance. On the other hand Genelia is seen as a choreographer. A ‘chance’ meeting brings the two together and there begins their journey.
A UTV Motion Pictures production, “Chance Pe Dance” is a solo release Jan 15. Genelia describes it as an out and out entertainer.
“Well, yes, this is a fun film for sure, though there are some emotional moments as well. Of course, there is a lot of music, fun, romance and dance but at the crux of it, ‘Chance Pe Dance’ stays on to be a heartwarming, feel-good musical entertainer,” she said.
For more than half a decade, Genelia has been juggling between the south and Bollywood. It was the success of “Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na” that brought her to the forefront of Hindi movies. Now she is working with the likes of Anees Bazmee in “It’s My Life” and David Dhawan-John Abraham in “Hook Ya Crook”.
Talking about the kind of offers coming her way, Genelia said: “Between the south and the north, there are some films which are out and out glamorous, a few are challenging me as an actor while a couple of them are a complete package affair where I get to look glamorous and also act. I am closely studying the kind of films I want to do.”
